Supreme Court upholds election of Akwa-Ibom Gov, Emmanuel Udom

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the election of Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state. The apex court in its ruling set aside appeal court judgement which cancelled elections in all 33 Local Government Area of the State, calling for a re-run. You may recall that Udom headed to the Supreme Court soon after the lower court ruling last year. The supreme court has upheld the election of Emmanuel Udom as governor of Akwa Ibom state. The apex court held that Udom’s appeal challenging the decision of the appeal court, which sacked him, was “meritorious.” The court affirmed the declaration of Udom as the winner of the April 11 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It said it would advance reasons for its decision on February 15. The Akwa Ibom state governorship election petition tribunal had ordered a rerun election in 18 local government areas of the state. But Umana Okon Umana, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenged the decision of the tribunal on the grounds that the April 11 governorship election in the state should have been cancelled, owing to wanton irregularities. In December 2015, the appeal court gave judgment in Umana’s favour, cancelling the entire election; and it directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold a fresh one in the state within 90 days. But Udom went to the apex court to challenge the decision of the lower court. He asked the Supreme Court to set aside the judgments of the lower courts for being “perverse.”